[erlang-questions] The Beauty of Erlang Syntax

[Ulf Wiger]

Michael Richter <ttmrichter@REDACTED> wrote:
>
> I would like to ask a multi-part, but rhetorical, question of the list:
>
>Why do you think people stay away from functional programming
> languages in droves?

In my experience, succeeding in commercial software development is usually more about understanding your limits and capacity, more than using the sharpest possible tool (better the devil you know...)

>From that perspective, it's not so much a matter of 'staying away in droves' as sticking with what you know.

This is especially true in large companies, where multiplying a technical cost assessment with a "project factor" of 5-10 seems like a perfectly sensible thing to do*. Here, 'predictable' beats 'brilliant' (almost) every time.

* Indeed, as long as same company makes a healthy profit, who's to say that it /isn't/ sensible?

BR,
Ulf W
--
CTO, Erlang Training & Consulting Ltd.
http://www.erlang-consulting.com